God's Love

 1 Corinth 13:13
And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

Valentine’s Day is a special day when love is expressed to someone special in your life. It is a day to celebrate the commitment to a shared relationship, or desire for one. This is love that is based on human emotions and feelings toward someone. It is an affection that is sought by all human beings, because everyone desires to find this kind of love in life. But such love is not everlasting and is known to turn into hate given the right circumstances. This is not the kind of love that is spoken here in scripture. This charity (love) comes from above and sent from God and is sealed in the hearts of Christians who have totally given their lives to Christ. “If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.” (John 15:10). The manifestation of this love is made possible by the power of the Holy Spirit, which makes His home in the heart of the believer. The list of what this looks like is found here in 1 Corinthian 13, but is also demonstrated through the fruits of the Spirit and Christians living out their walk before the world and other believers. We live in a world of sin and living for self. Self is grounded not in love for others, but in self-gratification, desire and preeminence over all others. Let love rule in your heart, to live in the vine, to allow God to be in you and work through you to accomplish His love to the world that others may come to love and serve Him.

Divine Love

 1 Corinth 13:13
So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

On this man-made holiday, love is celebrated throughout many countries of the world, where cards and acts of endearment are exchanged. Many use this day to have a romantic dinner, or do something special together. The Bible refers to this kind of love as “eros”. A love expressed between two people who have feelings for each other. Many capitalize on this day to raise their revenue and add to their profit margin. There is nothing wrong with this, but it is wise to realize that one does not have to spend a lot of money, or none at all, to express one's love and appreciation for each other. 
The love mentioned in this passage is love that comes from God, and is put into the heart of man. It is the kind of love that allows someone to love their enemies. To do good to those who mean us harm. It goes beyond feelings and begins with a heart that loves God because He first loved us. This love is unexplainable and, from a human viewpoint, it makes no sense. This is the love that is mentioned in John 3:16, “That God so loved the world…” This is the love that Paul writes about when he says that even if you give everything you own to the poor, if done for selfish reasons, it is all done in vain. 
How does one obtain this love? Such love is provided when we allow the Holy Spirit to cleanse our heart from the carnal nature of sin.  Allow Him to purify our heart from carnal selfish desires. The Hebrew word for this love is called "Agape". It is the divine love that Charles Wesley writes “Breathe, O Breathe Thy loving Spirit into every troubled breast! Let us all in Thee inherit, let us find the promise rest. Take away our love for sinning, Alpha and Omega be; end of faith, as its beginning, set our hearts at liberty.”
As we share our “Eros” love with those close to us on this day, may we not forget the “Agape” love that God has given us. Let our hearts be filled with His divine love and share it with a world in need of real love.